Hiking the Great Wall takes a while when you stop every 2 minutes to exclaim, often with expletives laced in for emphasis, that you’re on the Great Wall of China (!!!). It’s one of those moments that you consciously commit to memory, but then by the next day you feel like it never even happened. I suppose it did happen, though, because I have the (sweaty, smoggy) photos to prove it. Despite the miserable July conditions, the trip was a highlight of my stay in China.

We signed up for a 1-day excursion through the Far East International Youth Hostel and boarded a van at the crack of dawn for the 3- to 4-hour trip to the Wall. Two of my friends got off at the first stop, Jinshanling, to hike the 5 miles to Simatai. The rest of us remained on the van for 30 more minutes and got off at Simatai to spend the day (from 10:30am to 3pm) hiking in that area.

Neither of these starting-off points is overly touristy, and we had our share of moments where we were the only people on the Wall for as far as we could see, which is a pretty heady feeling. Sometimes, though, local merchants latch on to you for part of the hike. If you ignore them, they’ll turn to the next hiker; if you buy something, they’ll hike with you all day long. We returned to the van having bought nothing, but my friends that hiked from Jinshanling showed up with matching Olympics hats, shirts, and books. They looked like they’d just come from Disney World.

We ended up hiking from Gate 2 to Gate 8 before turning back, which put us at our van exactly on time for the trip back to Beijing. The path to each gate (the benchmarks of the hike) became steeper as the numbers climbed until we were reaching them by ladder. While not exactly difficult, the hike is harder than I thought it would be. There is an option to take a cable car back down, but we stuck to walking. The most difficult part was probably the 20- to 30-minute hike from the end of the Wall to the van, because my legs were jelly by then. It’s also the point where you begin to run into more people urging you to buy things; at one point, I heard a guy passing by me lament that they were "f***ing with [his] feng shui." Clearly mean, but kind of apt at the same time. We used the phrase liberally for the rest of the week.

Also messing with our feng shui was the van ride itself—harrowing, to say the least. And I’d put Great Wall toilets in the same category. But overall, this excursion is as magical as you imagine it to be, and Simatai is the perfect portion of the Wall for anyone interested in a less touristy but still accessible (and gorgeous) stretch for hiking.

The section of the Great wall at Badaling, is by far the most visited by tour buses and tour groups. It is the closest to the city and is well restored. It is also ridiculously busy.The wall is so large that there are, of course, several other options. One that is well worth the visit is the Simatai section of the wall. It is easy to get there as almost every hostel in Beijing runs tours, and has recently had a small hotel and visitor center built close by. This makes it as easy as Badaling, but far less crowded and a great deal more rewarding.The only problem with the Simatai section is that it is insanely steep. Rather than a gentle stroll, parts of it feel more like mountaineering. If you think I am exaggerating, or a lack of fitness is causing me to go overboard a little with my descriptiveness, then look at it this way. It is maybe a 3km hike from the visitor center to the wall, but that walk and the first 2km of the Simatai section itself can be circumnavigate via the use of a cable car that allows anyone not fancying aching calves and blistered feet the chance to reach some of the more picturesque stretches of the wall.I opted to hike up, and found it like a walk into the clouds. At the start the path up seems vertical and the guard towers that dot the wall seem to be rising away into the stratosphere. However, once you get high up, the views are downright astounding. You can look down to the Simatai river gorge below and even across to the Jinshaling section of the wall across the gorge as it tethers on a high mountain ridge.My problems at Simatai though, came on the way down. Having pushed myself as hard as I could to get as high as I could, I soon found my knees giving way as I tried to inch my way down the steep steps back towards my bus. My fatigue reduced me to such a slow speed that I even thought I would miss my bus back to the capital.Simatai was definitely worth the visit, even if the steep climb definitely took it out of my legs. Maybe next time I will be a bit better prepared, or will walk a little slower.

There is a reason it is called the Great Wall and not the 'good wall', the 'average wall', or the 'OK wall'. In short China's most famous landmark is an absolutely stunning sight to see.With something as magical, beautiful and awe-inspiring as the wall, the problem arises that if you are planning a trip it is unlikely you are going to be the only one. This makes it essential that you choose the right area of the wall to visit. The section at Badaling is by far the most popular destination for Beijing's tour buses; it is close to the city and has restored to almost perfect condition. The only problem is that in the height of tourist season it is possible to stand on it and not be able to see the edge, due to the hordes of tourists in the way. There are several other options, but for me the best choice is to combine two locations and take a hike between Jinshaling and Simatai.Most hostels in Beijing will take you to Jinshaling and then pick you up a few hours and around 15km later from Simatai. I have done it twice and both occasions it has cost around $15.The bus tends to leave at well before 7am and arrives at Jinshaling around 9am. Being that I am no morning person, I was not a fan of this, but I have to say a few gulps of coffee and my first glimpse of the wall soon took my mind away from thoughts of sleep.The Jinshaling section is quite well restored and runs along the top of a ridge that climbs gradually into the clouds. At the start of the hike I looked along the ridge and the series of guard towers that stretched away into the distance and wondered just how I was gonna get that far along. Half an hour and five towers later and I was flying. The wall was nearly deserted, allowing me to push along and gawp at each awe-inspiring view that seemed to appear at almost every turn. Each time I stepped down one of the guard towers and looked around, I found myself asking 'how?'. It seemed almost unbelievable that something so large and spectacular could have been built so long ago and survived so well.The hike provided me with some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen, and I could easily wax lyrical about it for page after page, unfortunately there is a word limit so I will move on.I have to say that the scenery and the experience of the wall were unlike anything else I have ever experienced. However, the hike took it out of me. The first time I completed it was in September and the late summer sun left me sapped of energy and begging for mercy as the gorge at Simatai drew into view. The blisters, aching calves, and a bit of thirst were well worth it though.

Getting to Simatai is by way of mini bus for Y80 round trip. The round trip is a total of six hours with one stop en route to Simatai for gas. This is your only chance for a restroom stop as awful as they may be, and considering rush hour traffic can cause your drive to go beyond three hours…

At the entrance are a couple of restaurants, souvenir stands, a youth hostel and a small cable car that goes up to the eighth tower. The colorful buckets look they belong at Disneyland and probably came from there. The tour allows for 4 hours at the wall, which is plenty of time to hike up to the twelfth tower and back without using the cable car. Before some accidents the hike extended to the 16th tower, but now there is guard just beyond the twelfth. All you have to do is look at how the trail narrows and is at angle NEXT to the wall to understand why.

Unlike other areas, the towers along this section are close together providing momentary breaks. For the most part, Simatai is a hike upwards the entire distance. I spend two hours ascending and one descending.

Another unique aspect of this hike is the reservoir at the beginning of the hike. It makes for a beautiful sight from some of the higher towers. On your return you have the option of taking a zip line near the first tower across the reservoir only to be brought back across by a small boat. The cost is Y35 and didn’t have too many takers, perhaps because the harness seemed to secure you only by Velcro.

Most towers were very well preserved with all the walls and roof completely intact. The views were indescribable. It seemed unfathomable that the high peaks you see in the distance driving up, would be the same ones under your feet a little later. It feels like being on top of the world.

The terrain itself is very rugged and continually changing. Steps could be shallow (toes only) or deep and they could be 5 inches to 18 in height. And still other areas were merely gravel-like rising out of the red dirt.

Although I brought three bottles of water with me I was grateful to have water to purchase along the way at Y3. The hike was difficult but it was the heat and humidity that caused my clothes to become soaked. I wouldn’t have missed this one for anything. And I mean that literally as I had two huge blisters on my heels from walking around Summer Palace the day before.

The Great Wall wasn't so called because it was average. Heck no, it's amazing.

I booked my trip there at the YHA hostel in Beijing. I forget the exact price, but it was extremely cheap.

We set off at 7.30am, heading for Simatai. The section of the wall there hasn't been restored like other sections. That means it can be extremely difficult to walk as it's effectively crumbling - however, it does mean that you are away from most other tourists, traders and get that feeling of 'authenticity'.

Beijing in January is cold, but at the wall it was even colder. I was concerned that I might freeze, but there are people selling hats, gloves and coats at the base if there's anything you need as well as some good places to eat. These services exist for tourists, but it seems they haven't thought to raise the prices to tourist rates.

The only thing to look out for are the girls who attach themselves to each group of tourists and walk with them like tour guides. They are informative and even helpful when you're struggling up the steeper sections, but they aren't doing it for the tip at the end. They actually want you to buy the 120RMB books and postcards they produce when your walk is over.

You may wish to purchase the merchandise, but if you choose not to, they get quite annoyed, even physically grabbing you as you walk away. This happenhed to me and I saw it happen to another couple.

It's not the biggest deal you'll encounter in China, but best be aware that it's coming up if they start talking to you.